


Mirrors

by rookiewithachance



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, vampire!Judai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 13:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7172897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rookiewithachance/pseuds/rookiewithachance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judai hates his reflection, and yet there are times where he can't seem to look away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mirrors

**Author's Note:**

> Two in one day. Check me out yo. also holy crap I realized how much editing this needed that was really embarrassing. I fixed it now.

Judai hated mirrors. He kept the time he spent looking at himself to a minimum, when he could help it. He heard a myth of vampires not being able to see their own reflections, and silently wished it were true. That way he wouldn't have to see the exhaustion in his eyes, the hollowness to them. It was haunting, and hard enough to see within himself. The fact that there were physical signs of these things only seemed to make them worse.

Sometimes, however, he found this intriguing. Hypnotizing, even. He'd glance up while doing something when he happened to be in front of a mirror, or make eye contact with his reflection as he walked by one, and something -  _something_ \- would catch and demand this attention. All other goals and activities took a backseat as he felt compelled to face the mirror full-on, getting close enough to examine each excruciating detail of his face. 

This time, just as the others, he felt himself spiraling, he could hear his thoughts turning on him, but his wide, tired eyes stared back at him anyway.

He hadn't heard the front door to the apartment open, or close. He hadn't heard the rustling of cloth as a jacket was removed and hung up, nor did he hear the sound the bag made as it hit the kitchen floor. He wasn't even aware he had company until the person spoke up from the bedroom doorway.

“Hey.”

The greeting was subtle, soft, and oddly comforting. The one word edged him out of his trance, and he blinked, eyes focusing on the figure of his boyfriend leaning against the door frame, as seen through the mirror's eyes. He relaxed, if only a fraction.

“Yusei... you’re back.”

"Yep." Even as he spoke, Yusei was standing, approaching Judai and wrapping his arms around him from behind. Their heads rested against each other, breath mingling and temperatures exchanged. Judai could already feel Yusei's warmth seeping through his clothes, permeating the uncomfortable coolness to his insides. He melted back into Yusei's chest, tilting his head towards the other's.

"How was your day?" Judai asked casually, daring a glance back up into the mirror. His brown eyes looked a bit lighter somehow, and while Yusei's were closed, Judai had memorized the slightest shifts and designs in the deep blue oceans commonly referred to as Yusei's eyes. Just thinking about them made Judai smile.  _Beautiful_ , he thought.  _Just like him_. 

“Fine,” Yusei replied, voice lowered to accommodate for their proximity. "Nothing eventful. Yours?"

"It was fine." The reply comes out before he can think about how to properly answer the question. Was that really true? He guessed so - nothing explicitly bad happened, which made for an alright day, right?

"...one of those days?" Yusei asked softly, making Judai stiffen on reflex. Yusei knew.  _Of course_ Yusei knew. He's Yusei. Judai forced himself to relax, looking away from their reflection. This was Yusei. Just him.

Judai takes a moment to respond. He sighs, and with his exhale goes a small piece of the anxious tension that had amassed into a dense clump in his chest. "Yeah, guess so," he said with the last of the breath. His inhale slows the heart rate he hadn't noticed had sped up so much to begin with, and the knots in his shoulders loosened, as if the air filling his lungs had been pumped right into the knot's core. 

Yusei's head fell to Judai's shoulder, starting a slow, pleasant burn that spread like the fire Judai always associated with Yusei - soft but powerful in it's own right. "I got dinner," Yusei said into Judai's jacket, tilting his head up just enough to make eye contact with Judai's reflection. "You choose a show?"

The words make Judai smile. "Sure, babe. Thanks."

Yusei leaned up to give Judai's lips a soft peck, leaving with an equally soft "No problem." Judai watched him leave through the mirror, promising to join him in a minute.

Now left alone with his reflection, he stared at it for a moment. At himself. It felt a little different this time around. It was a bit harder to find the emptiness in his eyes now. 

 _Yusei likes what he sees_ , he reminded himself,  _inside and out._

_Why not give it a try too?_

His reflection smiled pleasantly at him, a simultaneously small and momentous gesture.  _Here goes nothing_. 


End file.
